


A New Chapter

by Descended_from_Hufflepuffs, whatdoyoumeanitsnotawesome



Category: Letterkenny (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, trying new things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:02:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22369927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatdoyoumeanitsnotawesome/pseuds/whatdoyoumeanitsnotawesome
Summary: Wayne and Darry contemplate life, relationships, and each other
Relationships: Daryl/Wayne (Letterkenny)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 131





	A New Chapter

Wayne had been looking for love since the time it seemed appropriate for him to do so and he really hadn’t thought it would be that hard. He knew how to court a gal. Well, he’d been taught how to at least. Keep your truck clean, open doors, bring her flowers, learn the right moves, and so on. He’d heard the same lectures from his Da and Uncle Eddie enough times to know them by heart.

And yet.

And _yet._

Every. Single. Time. It managed to go wrong. Angie cheated on him. Rosie chose pit bull rescue over him. Tanis couldn’t compromise with him. Marie-Fred ran around and played him. 

Looking at it all laid out like that just made him realize there were only two common factors: himself, and the fact that they were all women. Now, Wayne knew better than anyone he didn’t have it all his damn self, but there were worse prospects out there, so he wasn’t quite ready to blame himself for everything. And, well, he’d always low-key batted for both teams. Maybe it was time for a new contract. He could play the field a little bit, let people see he was a switch hitter. Show off his skills on both sides of the plate, to really torture the metaphor. 

All told, Wayne didn’t really have to do anything different. He’d never precisely _lacked_ for offers. He just had to remember to not ignore them. He was _allowed_ now; allowed to invite the looks, allowed to look back, allowed to be interested. 

The first time another dude followed him out the back of the bar ‘for a dart,’ he realised he didn’t know the _etiquette_ for this situation. It didn’t really seem to matter though, ‘cos as soon as the Wayne flicked the butt of his smoke away, the fella was on him, not so much kissing as trying to suck Wayne’s tongue out by the root, like he felt he needed to make a case for why Wayne should unbutton the flies of his jeans. 

No fault to the man’s technique, which was objectively fuckin’ immaculate, Wayne’s never had his dick sucked that well before, but up against the wall next to the dumpster was not an ideal situation. Wayne kept getting distracted by the smell, the sounds coming from inside, the vague terror of someone he knew opening the door and seeing him with his cock in another man’s mouth. That Wayne was able to come at all was a testament to the guy’s skill. 

He wasn’t exactly proud of the squeezer he gave in return, but to be fair, he was stick-handling from the wrong side for the first time ever. Not that the other guy seemed to mind; he finished well enough and kissed him goodnight. All in all, not too bad for a first time. But Wayne wasn’t one to do things halfway. If he was going to seriously date the dudes, he had to learn some new tricks.

* * *

Bonnie McMurray. He was dating Bonnie McMurray. The hottest girl in Letterkenny. The girl who, a year ago, barely acknowledged him. His long-time dream, finally come true. _Bonnie McMurray._

True, she was quite a bit younger than Darry, but hanging out with her reminded him how much fun he’d had at her age; drinkin’ and partyin’ all night long, then up for chorin’ with barely a twinge. Ah, Youth. The hangovers do hit harder these days, so he moderated himself, kept up with her where he could, mostly in the bedroom. The trade-off was experience, _stamina._ Sure, she had a few more kinks than he was ready to explore, but she _was_ McMurray’s sister so what had he really been expecting there? For the most part, it was great. She really was a lovely girl and he’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t like her, wasn’t having a good time. In spite of all that, there was something off.

Not that there was anything _wrong_ , mind you. It’s not like he wasn’t thrilled with Bonnie or their relationship. It was lively… maybe a little _too_ lively. Truth was, he was starting to see what Wayne meant when he talked about _letting the paint dry a wee bit._ Bonnie was young and fun and, unless she was working, always ready to let loose. Darry, on the other hand, was looking for something more… settled down. Not that he couldn’t cut loose; he just prefered game nights to party nights. Sometimes he and Bonnie butted heads over how to spend time together, and sometimes she got fed up and went out on her own. Of course she was completely free to do that, but he was always taught that relationships included compromise, and he wasn’t getting a whole lot of that from her. If he was being honest, and he tried to always be honest, it was getting on his nerves.

But _dammit_ if there weren’t perks. Of course there were perks. It’s _Bonnie McMurray._ Turns out dating the hottest girl in town got the attention of other girls, which made Bonnie jealous, which led to the best sex of his life. If he was a degen, he might get excited about all the interest in case things went south, but that’s not really him. Great sex, beautiful sweetie, loads of free drinks courtesy of the lady herself; what’s not to love?

The fact that he now had a ‘wardrobe budget’ because Bonnie said he needed one. Or the fact that he had to buy new cologne more often and that shit was so expensive. And she texted him a lot. A _lot,_ a lot. Just going out to Modean’s with the gang wasn’t really on the table anymore unless he pissed her off and she cancelled their plans. That’s all he really wanted, just time for them to be together instead of going out and meeting people he’d never see again. Maybe it was time for a change…

* * *

As far as _relationships_ were concerned, Wayne had simple tastes. Companionship, common ground, camaraderie, and cooking. The rest was just perks. Lacking the solid foundation of friendship, of genuine regard for a potential partner, what were they even doing? 

This attitude didn’t cut much ice with fellas. At least, not the ones interested in Wayne. What they seemed to want was under his clothes, no more nor less. He got a lot of offers for hook-ups and booty calls, but it was all so _dissatisfying,_ holding someone close only for them to slip away before the sheets cooled. Providing there were sheets. Often there weren’t. If he asked for or offered a phone number or email, he received in return looks of bewilderment or disgust, as though the idea of building something permanent was perverse. There was one mortifying encounter where he asked if he could see the other guy again; he’d looked right through Wayne as though he was invisible, his blank stare blowing a frigid breeze over Wayne’s soul, and left with a _no._

After that, Wayne put looking for love on the back-burner, chose instead to concentrate on chorin’, his friends and family. He found contentment there, to be sure, filled his nights and days with Katy, Darry, and Dan, but there was still the nagging feeling of something missing, a forgotten item on a grocery list. No matter what he did, Wayne simply couldn’t shake the thought that there was someone out there, waiting for him. He was determined not to go looking for it; let love come to him, for once. Maybe if he wasn’t so busy chasing it, this time it might _stay._

Loneliness made seeing Darry give it the ol’ college try with Bonnie all the worse. Watching them set Wayne’s heart to aching something fierce, like the sight of the ring he’d bought for Marie Fred, nestled so small in his palm when she gave it back. He was happy for Dar, truly he was, and he certainly wasn’t _jealous._ Except the arctic shiver running down his spine when they acted like a couple around him said _yes,_ he was. Not that he was suddenly interested in Bonnie, or anything, but he wanted what they had. He wanted someone to smile at him the way Bonnie smiled at Darry, wanted to feel as excited about being with someone as Darry felt about Bonnie.

* * *

Well, no sense beating around the bush. Another fight about how much gas it took to drive into the city, about the lawns he had to mow to fill his c-suckin’ gas tank, and Darry’d had enough. Bonnie was a fine girl, she just wasn’t fine for him, and the time had come to accept that.

Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as he thought. Sure, it was a little sad, as breakups and the realization of the need for them tended to be, but once he reckoned with it, it was easy to move on to the next step. He asked Bonnie to meet at the park, neutral territory, and thought about how he was gonna break it to her. He’d have to be soft, but firm. He wouldn’t break her heart, but he couldn’t hold it for her either. He consulted Dan, as one usually did with these things, and they managed to hammer out a bit of an outline for him, even had time for a little roleplay to make sure it all worked.

Turned out he really didn’t have much of anything to worry about. She’d been thinking about it too, and broke it off pertnear before he even got a word out. They were just different people, she said. Nothing wrong with Darry, or her for that matter, it just wasn’t meant to be. And _boy howdy_ was he glad to hear that. It’s always good to be on the same page as your partner, even if it is the last page. He told Bonnie he totally agreed; his small-town style just didn’t fit her wild-child. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say she looked a little put out with how well he took it. 

But that didn’t stay on his mind for long. He was free now. Free to hang with his buddies whenever he wanted, go to MoD3an’s in the same shirt and jeans or even barn clothes if he chose. Free to not waste any time shopping for cologne. Free to just spend time alone at home after choring if he so desired. Free to have McMurray play up Bonnie’s moping… free to pay for his own drinks. Okay, maybe that wasn’t a perk, but at least he’d be paying _only_ for his. Besides, he still had some of those numbers from before. Time to see if his charms extended beyond Bonnie…

* * *

The inevitable breakup happened, though thankfully it wasn’t as much of a blowup as it could’ve been. Darry didn’t need to hide out for a few weeks and Bonnie was being perfectly normal at the bar, albeit back on her _Thirsty for Wayne Train_ bullshit.

Of course, things couldn’t just _stay_ normal, _oh no._ He just _had_ to go and notice that Darry was still dressin’ up to go to the bar, that his short sleeved shirts showed off his arms, and his jeans showed off his thighs, and _fuck,_ Wayne had to go have a dart before things got uncomfortable.

Truth was, Wayne was a lot more comfortable walkin’ out with dudes now, even if most of them just wanted a one-off. And after seeing Darry play the role of Boyfriend properly, he couldn’t deny that his mind was wandering in that direction. It shouldn’t be, though, should it? Darry was his pal, his good buddy, his _best friend._ Their relationship had been _fine_ all this time, no sense fixing what ain’t broken. Right?

If only it were that simple.

Darry was a good guy. He could be a downright knucklehead when it came down to it, but it was also kinda adorable. More importantly, Darry wanted a relationship. He wanted to call someone _Sweetie_ for keeps. He wanted _more_ , just like Wayne did. It didn’t hurt that they had a lot in common. They were both men of tradition, both believed in right and wrong. They both liked to keep things simple and didn’t often bother with all the new stuff that came along. And crucially, they were both single. Maybe love had come around and found him when he wasn’t lookin’ after all.

Now if only he could give his balls a tug, say hello to it…

* * *

As much as Darry liked being free and single, he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t bittersweet. He was _fine,_ really, _great_ even, but somehow things just didn’t seem to sit right comfortable like they used to. 

It was like being told not to think about a pink elephant; suddenly, they were everywhere, the only thing he could see. Being in a relationship made it so much clearer what he did and didn’t want out of one. Since the breakup, pretty much all he could think about was all the reasons it wouldn’t work with Bonnie, which in turn made him think about how well it would or wouldn’t work out with various other people.

Then Wayne popped into his head.

Not that that should be surprising. They were best friends, they spent practically all their time together, and sometimes that was just the way the road was paved. Then again, they’d been friends for a long time and he’d never really thought about Wayne that way. Not that he’d had much of a chance to, what with Wayne’s extensive dating history. Any time his thoughts might’ve maybe started to head in that direction, Wayne was either in Recovery Junction or New Relationship Town. This was the first and only time the timing had ever been right and Darry wasn’t 100% sure he was ready for it. Seriously, this was _Wayne._ Strong, steady Wayne who never did anything crazy like date his best friend. What was he thinking?

Not that he _had_ to do anything about it. He could always just sit back and watch and wait for the right moment to suggest risking the most important friendship of their lives on the off-chance they could build something good between them. There was a right moment for that, right?

* * *

Wayne watched Darry from his seat at the bar. Gail set another beer in front of him but he didn’t so much as blink, too deep in thought to register much of what was going on around him.

The past few weeks had been weird. No, _weird_ wasn’t the word. Different. They’d been _different_ and he wasn’t sure if it was good or not. First, Darry broke up with Bonnie. He floundered for a little bit, going out with a few different people that Wayne never met. Then he was single again. And now he’s…flirting? With Wayne? That last part was a little more muddy since sometimes intention can be hard to read. Then again, Darry was his best friend; if anyone could decipher his intentions, it should be Wayne. So why can’t he? 

And yet, here he is, sitting at the bar like a chump, while his maybe, potential, sweetie tore up the d-floor. _Yanno,_ now that he’s watching, really watching, he’s not a half bad dancer. And- wait…. Was Darry calling him onto the floor? _Sweet Jesus,_ Darry wanted to dance with him?

Okay maybe he wasn’t crazy. Or maybe Darry was just drunk.

Probably just drunk.

* * *

Darry was officially At A Loss. So, not all that different from usual.

He thought he’d gotten pretty good at flirting these past few months, especially being with Bonnie McMurray, of all people. And yet, for all his smarts, Wayne refused to take a _Goddamn_ hint. For a moment, Darry thought about trying his usual tricks, but he figured Wayne’d sooner clock him for using cheesy 90’s boyband lyrics than swoon for ‘em. But he never really knew with Wayne, even though they were best friends, and Darry knew him better than pertnear anyone, except maybe Katy. Like, _Got-Tom-Thumb-married-in-the-bush-when-you-were-six,_ better than anyone. No, he was gonna need something new if he was going to do this properly. Maybe he needed to consult Dan, or Katy; she spent a lot of time flirting with dudes.

Of course, he could be reading Wayne’s signs wrong. After all, it’s not like anything had really _changed_ about their relationship. Maybe he was just imagining the lingering looks, the way their fingers brushed together when handing over a beer, or how Dan started to feel more like a third wheel in the barn or at the produce stand. It was probably all in his head.

* * *

In the end, there’s no _grand gesture,_ no flowery declaration. That’s not the type of pricks they are. Instead there’s chorin’; labour under the hot sun; cold beers after; dinner after that. Dan’s courting Lovina Dyck again, and Katy’s off... Wayne doesn’t wanna know where. There’s a movie on television, their feet brushing on the coffee table, shoulders leaning into each other. Wayne lost the plot a while ago in favour of watching Darry fighting sleep even as his head nodded. He woke himself up with a snore and a start, and Wayne knew without doubt that this was it.

* * *

Darry waited in silence, still as a rabbit staring down the barrel of a fox. Wayne’s eyes were on his chin, but the weight of his attention held Darry down just as sure as his hands. The word, _Stay,_ fell out of Wayne’s mouth and hung between them and they knew it didn’t just mean, _For now, Tonight._ Darry slipped his hand into Wayne’s just as the answer, _Sure,_ slid out to wrap around its companion, and it echoed, _Forever._ Wayne’s genuine smiles were rare, so Darry paid attention and memorised the soft shape of it pressed against his own.


End file.
